Mirror Image
by Kyia Star
Summary: Gohan fights with his mirror image on the battle field with Cell.


Mirror Image 

~Thanks very very much to Torankusu Senshi. A fantastic writer and fantastic friend. Thank you for all your advice, your critiquing has helped me create this. There will be one for when Gohan went Super Saiyan a first time, but a bit later. I have lots of essays and a research paper or two to write so give me time please.~

As he jumped and twisted himself to avoid blast after on-coming blast, Gohan wondered not for the first time what his father was thinking when he sent him up against Cell. Cell, the biologically created warrior; he was the warrior, the ultimate fighting machine. And not many could stand up to him. What was his father thinking? He had no clue. 

No, that wasn't precisely true. His father thought that his son could defeat this monster. It had started fairly and evenly enough, but Cell began to push buttons that Gohan kept most shielded. That's when it had gotten unstable.

Telling Cell his story had been his first mistake, pleading had been his second. He should have kept his mouth shut. Pleading with Cell not to fight with him because he wanted his power to stay hidden was something he would always regret. Ah well, what was done, was done. No going back in time, no matter how much he wanted to.

Why did he want his power to stay hidden? Why? Because he was afraid of it. When he became angry enough, Son Gohan was pushed to the side and something else took over. It had helped defeat Raditz, it had brought Furiza to the ground and rendered him unconscious for a short while, it had helped defeat Garlic Jr.

Over the years, Gohan had come to identify that as anger, but… this anger was different somehow. It was… alive, a cold and impersonal malevolent force that was more demonic than anything, and very much wanting to come out and prove itself. 

Gohan's father had quit the fight and told his son to win for him, not a bad idea at all. Just one small, minute problem: Cell wanted to see Gohan's hidden power, and now, everyone of the other Z senshi was getting beaten by a Cell Jr.  Gohan could feel his anger growing by the very nano-second and he wished Cell would stop!

He hated getting angry, he wasn't an angry person like Vegita. But more than that, he knew what the consequences were if he did get angry. And he didn't want to! He pushed the anger away, but the more he did the more the people he loved suffered. He hated seeing them suffer.

The Cell Jrs., were just like their father, he reflected. And Cell made sure they would suffer and he made sure that Gohan would watch…

He could save them all and destroy the Cell Jrs., and perhaps Cell himself if he only let his restraints go…

The realization came unbidden and threatened to floor the small warrior. Could he do that? If he let go he could. But what about the world? What about his friends?

Come off it! If he didn't do something there'd be nothing left! It was just like in the Room of Spirit and Time! If he didn't do something everyone would die!

But this was different! This was a different barrier. This barrier was power. Power that could defeat Cell.

                  But he wasn't strong enough!

'Otousan thinks that you are. In fact, he knows it. If he didn't know you could do it, you wouldn't be out here fighting right now!' 

Gohan stopped. That voice! It was the same voice from when he reached super Saiyan the first time… but this time… instead of many… it was just one. It was _his_ voice. 

'Cell is backing you into a corner, go with it. Let me loose!'

'NO!'  Gohan shut the thought out of his head as the Cell Jrs. Continued pummel his friends and his father. Yamcha, Tenshihan, Otousan, Vegita, Trunks! His student in a ruined world! He still couldn't get over that one… what did Trunks think of him right now? Did he think him weak? A punch here on Trunks, a kick there on Piccolo… drop of a few rock lengths for Kuririn… his hair spiked upwards even more… Not again!

THUMP!! What the? Juurokogou. The gentle, life-loving jinzoningen that hadn't been in Trunks's future. But he'd been blown to bits. Gohan had seen it with his very eyes! Uh-oh, Cell had noticed him too and was walking over.

Gohan stared, shocked at the bits and pieces that hand been Juurokogou's head, he stared at the memory chip with a small red light that Cell's foot had caused to blink out.

NO! NO! Not Juurokogou! He'd been so kind, so gentle!

"Protect the life I love…"

His last words. He knew this last request would be his defeat, he knew he would perish! If his head was still in tact, they could have built him a new body!! But no more. He'd given that particular hope up in this one last request to Gohan…

"You could have protected him," came the accusing, sadistic voice of Cell.

Juurokogou… a jinzoningen who'd been programmed to destroy… who'd loved life…

            He trembled, the force of his grief weighing heavily upon him… he could feel that weakened barrier slipping even more… gone!

            NO MORE! HE WOULDN'T TAKE ANY MORE OF THIS!

            Gritting his teeth, he screamed! A loud, angry sound that could be heard from heaven to hell.

            His power came out creating large craters in the ground, making the very earth shake. Power coursed through his veins a molten trail of lava making his spike up and stiffen and become even lighter, his eyes blazed and became a vivid dangerous shade of green such was his fury.

            With a final scream all became said and done. The power up was complete. Eleven-year-old Son Gohan stood proud and tall with his eyes narrowed to dangerous slits at Cell, electricity twisting and cackling in between the golden aura that blazed about him so magnanimously about him. Now was the time, he wasn't going to hold anything back.

            'This one dad, is for you, Trunks, I hope I measure up to the Son Gohan who taught you. I'm sorry to have let you suffer! It's time Cell. For all the times you've made people suffer, are all the times I am going to make you suffer,' he thought as he walked purposely towards Cell. 

Lady Kyia.


End file.
